Disc Launching Mechanism and Method

ABSTRACT

The “DISC LAUNCHING MECHANISM AND METHOD” was originally invented due to common flaws seen in most youth baseball/softball swings which is an inadequate grip and rolling the top hand over too soon which causes the bat to jump off the intended swing path and ultimately leads to a miss or inaccurate strike. With the present invention, that would equate to poor disc flight. The axe-shaped handle naturally promotes a proper baseball/softball grip. Incorporating a disc, resting on a flat shaft and anchored with spring holding mechanisms and using a tacky surface under the back of the disc to create drag, allows the disc to be held in place until the proper speed and swing-angle are reached. In testing the present invention, it was observed that it could be used for any disc launching entertainment such as disc golf or disc home run derby.

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent applicationSer. No. 62/009,863 filed, 2014 Jun. 9 by the present inventor.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mechanism for launching flying discs.Specifically, the present invention relates to a mechanism for launchingflying discs in a manner which is similar to that of a baseball orsoftball swing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flying discs have been a source of enjoyment for the general publicsince 1957 when the Wham-O Frisbee™ was introduced commercially.Original enjoyment was in the form of throwing these discs by handbetween two or more individuals. Recent trends are seeing discs beingused for other games such as disc-based golf as well as baseball-typegames using discs.

That being said, the background of the present invention is to provide afun alternative way to throw a disc which is easy and in the process,attempt to cure some flaws seen in baseball/softball swings. Because thepresent invention adds additional length by providing an extension tothe human arm in comparison to a manually thrown disc which utilizesjust the human arm, additional distance can be achieved as well. Thispresent invention is a mechanical representation of a “thumber” griptechnique for throwing a disc with the human hand.

Prior art which is designed to launch discs using an apparatus with twohands for recreation would be similar to U.S. Pat. No. 8,387,601 andU.S. Pat. No. 7,900,617 which do allow for two hands but is notpromoting a proper hitting grip and are designed more for distance thana precise area where the launch occurs to emulate a two-handedbaseball/softball-type swing which is just prior to the 90 degreehitting area of a two-handed baseball/softball-type swing.

Most prior art in the area of baseball/softball hitting aids deal mainlywith hand eye coordination training instead of focusing on the swingitself. Examples of this would be U.S. Pat. No. 8,535,179, U.S. Pat. No.7,674,194 as well as the many patents for batting tees that are on filewith the U.S. Patent Office.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of this invention to provide a disc launchingmechanism to provide a fun alternative method for launching a disc.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a disc launchingmechanism to promote a proper palm-up/palm-down two-handedbaseball/softball-type swing.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a disc launchingmechanism to promote a proper two-handed baseball/softball-type swingpath with the hands slightly above the imaginary hitting/contact areawhere the disc is launched.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a disc launchingmechanism to promote a proper two-handed baseball/softball-type swinggrip.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a disc launchingmechanism to allow the user of the invention to swing the mechanism withboth arms which would allow for additional distance compared to a humanhand-thrown disc.

It is an objective of this invention to provide a disc launchingmechanism to provide a simple disc loading procedure to allow moreswings per swing session.

The present left-handed version of the invention solves the problemsdescribed above by involving a disc launch mechanism that employs ahandle shaped as an axe handle connected to a flat shaft. The handleshaped as an axe handle promotes a proper two-handedbaseball/softball-type swing grip and the flat shaft provides a placefor the disc to sit at rest and guide the disc when launching. Alaunching mechanism, formed in likeness of a human thumb, resides at thetop of the flat shaft. A friction pad resides at the bottom of the flatshaft to create drag and/or delay in the launch of the disc when swungto ensure the disc is launched just prior to 90 degrees. Two springholders (one protruding at approximately 45 degree angle on top portionof the flat shaft and one at the bottom of the flat shaft) are employedat each ends of the shaft to hold the disc in place at rest. If swungimproperly and the hands are rolled prior to almost 90 degrees, theimmediate result is poor flight for the disc. If swung properly with acalm and deliberate butt end to the ball approach, hands coming throughwith palm up/palm down and accelerating with a quick burst (flick of thewrists-like chopping a tree) at almost 90 degrees using a proper pathfollow-through, the disc should fly long and true. All materials used inthe proof-of-concept and working model could be substituted withnumerous other materials to reach the same result of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (LEFT-HANDED DEPICTION)

FIG. 1A is an overhead view of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a side-rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 1C is a side-front view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a magnified depiction of the bottom area of the shaft of thepresent invention where the disc is slid under the spring tension metaland on top of the friction surface.

FIG. 3 is a magnified view of the top area of the shaft of the presentinvention where the disc goes over the launcher and under the springtension metal.

FIG. 4 is an overhead view of the present invention with the discoverlaid and the main flat shaft and attachments depicted dotted lines.

FIG. 5 is a bottom rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the swing, using the present invention, at almost 90degrees which is where contact of a baseball/softball would occur andwith the present invention, the disc launches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Directing attention to FIGS. 1A through 1C, there is shown generally adisc 200 launching mechanism that incorporates a flat shaft 101 whichfits into the wedge area of a handle (in the shape of a standard axehandle) 102 and is anchored with fasteners 109.

The disc's 200 edge is placed over the launcher 105 and the back end ofthe disc 200 is rotated under spring holder #1 104 which resides on asecondary flat 45 degree extension 103 to accompany spring holder #1104.The user will continue to rotate the disc 200 back to and under springholder #2 107 and over friction area 106. To simplify the seating of thedisc under of the spring holder #2 107, a knob 111 was added to simplifythe lifting of the spring holder #2 107 to slide the disc 200 under.Directing attention to FIGS. 2 and 3 are magnified views of those areaswhere the disc 200 is held in place with spring holders 104 and 107. Allcomponents are attached with various fasteners 109. FIGS. 4 and 5illustrate how the disc will be seated at rest with FIG. 4 showing anoverhead view with the disc overlaid and seated appropriately on primaryshaft 101. FIG. 5 represents a lower rear view of the disc seated and atrest.

The disc launching mechanism is swung like a baseball/softball batsimilar to the swing in FIG. 6. Using a calm and controlled approach tothe hitting/launching area and with the butt end of the presentinvention approaching the launch area first, the front and back ends ofthe disc 200 are being held by the tension of spring holders #1 104 and#2 107. This is followed by a flick of the wrists when approaching 90degrees. The circular force unseats the disc from the spring holders #1104 and #2 107 and the friction pad 106, when 90 degrees is reached, thedisc 200 rides up the ramp-shaped launcher 105 and takes flight. Forcorrect disc 200 flight, the hands need to maintain a palm-up/palm-downconfiguration even when the wrists are flicked and through the launcharea to ensure the integrity of the disc 200 path. This would be similarto a user chopping a tree. If the hands are rolled too soon, the side ofthe axe hits the tree and with the present invention, the disc 200 willnot fly true and instant results are provided. If the hands remain inthe proper configuration through the launch/contact area, the disk willfly long and true.

What is claimed is:
 1. A disc launching mechanism comprising: a handleand shaft which make up the foundation of the present invention. alauncher at the top of the main flat shaft shaped in the likeness of ahuman thumb in front and which is shaped like a ramp in the back portionto allow the disc to ride up the back as the disc rotates out of thespring holders as a result of swing force. There are spring holders ateach end of the main shaft to hold the disc flat and snug at rest. Thespring holder at the top of the main shaft rests on another lighterweight flat surface which protrudes from the main shaft. a friction areaat the bottom of the main shaft to create drag and delay the launch ofthe disc until almost 90 degrees is reached.